The Toronto Maple Leafs need to keep an eye on the situation unfolding in Colorado. As implausible as it seems, the Avalanche have been struggling at times this season. The dominant wire-to-wire NHL-best performance Colorado put together last season seems like a far cry this year.
And if the Avalanche continue rolling in neutral, it could mean that the Maple Leafs may have an unexpected gain: The Leafs hold Colorado’s first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Now, make no mistake: The Avalanche are not going to sink to the bottom of the NHL standings. At least, that doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment.
But what could seem very interesting is that the Leafs may end up with a way better first-rounder than they may have originally believed.
The initial thought process was that the Maple Leafs would end up with Colorado’s pick towards the end of the first round, say, somewhere around the 28th to 32nd picks. That would be fine, as it still gives Toronto a valuable piece.
But what if the Avalanche sink further down in the standings? What if the Leafs end up with a first-rounder in the low to mid-20s? That would be something to keep an eye on, especially as the club looks to make some deals this season.
Maple Leafs Could End Up With Valuable First-Rounder in 2027
Let’s be clear about something: Anything can happen in the NHL. Last season, no one would have picked the Florida Panthers to end up with a top-10 pick. Similarly, few predicted that the Leafs themselves would end up in the bottom five.
Yet, these things happened. And it made for some very interesting movement during the 2026 NHL Draft.
While there’s always the possibility that the Avalanche’s issues this season just get worse, the Avs may struggle to make the playoffs and flame out in the first round. And if that’s the case, the Leafs could end up with a pick in the middle of the first round.
That situation makes that Colorado first-round pick all the more valuable for the Maple Leafs.
The likeliest scenario here is that the Avalanche rebound, make the playoffs, and go on a bit of a run. Depending on how far they go, that pick could end up in the high 20s.
But one has to think that John Chayka is licking his chops just thinking about what a first-round pick in the high teens or low 20s could mean.
What If the Avalanche Miss the Playoffs?
Let’s get a bit conspiratorial here: What happens if the Avalanche miss the playoffs?
That would be an incredibly interesting situation. If Colorado were to miss the playoffs, the Maple Leafs would end up with a first-rounder at 16th overall or lower.
That opens up two avenues. The first is that John Chayka would have a very nice trade chip to work with. He could dangle it in front of another club and sell the idea that the Avalanche are sinking and could end up even lower.
The other is that the Leafs could just keep it. Depending on where the pick projects to land, the Leafs could just keep it past the deadline and see where it ends up. At that point, the Maple Leafs could end up deciding to keep it or flip it ahead of the 2027 NHL Draft.
Now, it’s worth pointing out that next year’s draft hasn’t kicked up any particular emotions among pundits just yet. So, the Leafs might just be tempted to keep it, see where it eventually lands, and then use it as part of a deal leading up to the draft.
Whatever happens, the Maple Leafs should certainly keep an eye on the situation unfolding in Colorado. The organization may just end up with an unexpected gift.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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